Are the changes that are here and others that are coming down the pike, really changes?

So I find myself trying to not laugh to hard about all of the changes with Internet marketing.  Are the changes that are here and others that are coming down the pike, really changes?  You may ask yourself what is this guy talking about.....well let me explain.

There are certain constants in the Internet marketing game
1) Content is King
2) The More of that Great Content you have coming out on a Consistent Basis

Now that Google's algorithm is so sophisticated that it almost mimics human behavior,  you really do need to obey Google's rules.  So what does this mean to the public at large.  Finaly a google search might really be the best websites that are really the most relevant to the end users actual needs.

If you are a SEO company that took shortcuts and got great results solely with techniques that are quickly being eliminate by Panda and Penguin, then your clients are already suffering great loss in rankings.  If you were a SEO company or business owner that really tried to give your best information  to help people out, then you have been and will continue to be in Googles good graces.  If you notice, I did not say great rankings.  The reason that i left that out, is because there are other factors that can effect your ranking on the search engines.

Competition in your industry will always be a huge part of the pie of great rankings.   All of those who did not do the right thing will not just go away, they will also adapt to the new Internet marketing reality.  If you keep to the rule that Content is King you will be ok.

What is SEO? Part 2

What is SEO? I talked about it in a previous Blog post, but I wanted to write a little more.  SEO is an abbreviation for Search Engine Optimization. What exactly does SEO do? It is the method of analyzing and constructing individual web pages, as well as entire sites, so that they can be discovered, analyzed, and then indexed by various search engines.

An important aspect of Search Engine Optimization is making your website easy for both users and search engine robots to understand. Although search engines have become increasingly sophisticated, in many ways they still can't see and understand a web page the same way a human does. SEO helps the engines figure out what each page is about, and how it may be useful for users. SEO can make the content of your web pages more relevant, more attractive, and more easily read by search engines and their crawling and indexing software. Why would this be of great importance to you? Would it be important to you if customers were unable to find your telephone number or find the address of your business? I do not think that many businesses could survive for very long in this situation.

This situation could apply to a web site. Can potential customers locate your current web site easily? Traffic to your web site could be extremely low. Potential customers might not even know that your site exists.

"Wait a minute!" you say. "We have a beautiful web site, and we include the web site address in all advertising campaigns. Why would people be unable to find our site?"

Of course, your current customers and persons already acquainted with your business would be likely to find your web site without difficulty.

Are you absolutely sure that your advertising has reached enough potential customers? Did you consider that some people simply do not read the newspapers? How about people who didn’t get the issue of the magazine where you placed an expensive ad?

Many companies under-estimate the power of the web and how it can help your business.  Search engines such as Google, Bing and Yahoo are the first place people look when wanting to find a company, product or service.  This is where SEO becomes the key to making a website work…

What is SEO? It is an abbreviation for Search Engine Optimization and is used as a key tool
for website owners to get more traffic to the website. What does it do? It’s a way of analyzing and building websites so that they can be found a lot easier when they are indexed by the search engines.

SEO can help make the content on your website more relevant and easier to understand when the search engines are crawling your site and indexing the data.

If you search for help in trying to get your website higher in the search engine results you will find hundreds if not thousands of different methods that claim they can help, however I believe SEO is by far and away the most effective method used to date, the reason for this is because by structuring the content effectively and getting link backs shows the search engines your site is more valuable this making them more inclined to rank your site higher.

The goal when using SEO on a website is to get the traffic increased and to appear on the first page of the search engines, also ensuring that the website stays in this position and comes ahead of the competition in the search engine results.

The future is uncertain, but in the world of search, change is a constant. For this reason, search marketing will remain a steadfast need for those who wish to remain competitive on the web. Others have claimed that SEO is dead, or that SEO amounts to spam. As we see it, there's no need for a defense other than simple logic - websites compete for attention and placement in the search engines, and those with the best knowledge and experience with these rankings receive the benefits of increased traffic and visibility.

Steve Bookspan

CEO of FWD Marketing

Helping those who need it, in 
the ways of Internt Marketing

Taking Advantage of "Free Stuff" to Promote your Business on the Internet

We all know about paying people like myself to get your business infront of more people looking for what your selling, where your selling it.  For a lot of small businesses this is a problem because they lack the funds to really compete in competitive industries doing SEM and SEO.
If you own a business that has a reach of a few zip codes, then Google has a great platform to promote your business on.   This platform has been around for years in different forms.  It was Google Maps, then it changed to Google Places ( my favorite one ), and now it is Google + Local.   You can claim your listing with a few easy steps.

1. Type your business address into Google + Local . If your business has existed in that general location for some time, it will probably show up as a result. This will save you the time of having to re-enter your business’s basic information. However, if it does not show up, you can fill out the form in its entirety by going to the Google Maps home page.
2. Pick the listing and click where it says “Claim Your Business.” This will cause a form to load.
3. Complete this form with content about your site including your web site address, business hours, a description, business categories you want to be listed under, and up to 10 photos. You can even add a video. Remember, the more content you add, the higher you may be able to rank organically!
4. When you click submit, Google will ask you if you want to verify the account by phone or by mail. If you click the “phone” option, you will receive a call in a matter of seconds. Be prepared with pen and paper to record a 5 digit PIN. Enter the PIN in the box for that purpose on your screen.
5. You should be active. Check back often to see charts indicating your listing's activity, clicks to your website and directions to your establishment. Also, you will be able to see how many impressions your listing receives (how many times it shows up on Google + Local).
6. Be sure to constantly update your listing with new information, including photos, videos and coupons. Don't forget to update your website at least once a month. Your website is your storefront in cyberspace. Make a good impression.

This is the best free thing to use on Google.  Yahoo and Bing have similar products, but Google's is the most important of them.  Look for the next great blog from FWD Marketing to help you get more business from the internet.     Call FWD Marketing at 631-902-2212

Things are Changing with SEO, so are FWD Marketing's Methods

Anyone who is in the Internet Marketing industry, know that Google changes the way that it ranks websites quite often.  The big question is, how is the Internet Marketing Industry going to keep itself relevant?   Any real SEO company needs to change the way we go about getting all of those great rankings for our clients.

We use things like blog outreach to gain great results for our clients.  Placing Anchor Text in the content we write.  This has been a tried and true SEO technique for quite a while, and we will not completely stop using it.  With Google's Algorithm acting more and more like a real person this may start to be looked at as more of a distraction then helpful.   We will be switching this up  a bit, using less Anchor Text and just great content referring to all of the same keywords but without the back link that we would have used in the past.   Instead people can always read more from the author with links in things link the Author Tags.

Throughout 2013 SEO will continue to play the same old cat and mouse game with the search engine.  Besides SEO, there are other ways to get on Google,  LSEO, also known as Local SEO is becoming very important.   With the explosion of Smart Phones and mobile search, it is more important then ever to have great presence in those realms.

Whoever you use to do your SEO work, make sure they are always a step or 2 head of the game and combining many different techniques.

What is SEO? Part 1

What is SEO?  It is SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION.  What is Search Engine Optimization you may ask, well it is when a website is ranking well on certain keyword that are important to that business.   Let take a Personal Injury Attorney, who practices in NYC.    If you typed Personal Injury Attorney NYC and he was on the first page, you could assume that he was optimized for that keyword or key phase.  If you were a dentist in Holbrook , NY and someone typed Dentists Holbrook and you were on the first page on Google then you would be well optimized for that term.   I hope that you get the picture.
When sitting down with a business owner, he or she inevitably always asks same question.  They ask how long it will take to get to the top of the search engines.  That is a loaded question, and one that is unique to every situation.  There are a 6 basic factors that will need to be taken into consideration.

1. The amount of competition in that particular industry, and local competition.
2. The content on the website itself.
3. The age of the website and domain.  
4. How consistent you are putting new content both on your website , or on third party websites.
5. How many links you can get linking back to your website, placed in the correct places for your type of website.  
6. How well is your site built.  Is it the easily indexed by Google and the other search engines?

If you are going to try and do this "SEO stuff " by yourself, then there are a bunch of things you need to make this a success

1. Make sure that you have analytics set up before you start.  So you can see what is working.
2. Pick keyword to try and optimize your website for. Do good research.
3. Check your current ranking for these terms.  This way you know where you are starting.  
4. Be consistent with your efforts.  A little a day is much better then work in spurts
5. Be patient
6. When building links, remember that it is more important to have quality links then quantity. 
7. Start a Blog.  It is a great way to start getting your message out.
8. get all of your social Media accounts set up.  Put social buttons on your website.  Google wants to know if you have a social presence.
9. Start putting your info and message across social channels like Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and many others depending on your business. 
10. Start doing great Articles and get them distributed across Cyber space. 

These 10 items will get you on yoru way.  If you are in a very competitive industry you may need lots of help because you may need to do so much work every month that you will not be able to actually run your business.  Please give us a call at 631-902-2212, we can help.

SEO vs Local SEO

          I am and will probably always be a fan of SEO.  To me doing SEO in New York or any major city can generate great results for my clients.  But as many realize that it is matter of time before SEO is pushed off the 1st page of Google completely   Unless you are doing e-commerce where you could sell to anyone,  anywhere, search is becoming much more localized.
         Google has been refining their algorithm for years now, and now it is very good at doing things like locating your location as well telling what is real organic content and what is paid.

This is good news for tons of businesses that doing business in any small geographic area.  Local SEO can be less competitive then regular SEO.   This includes business's like hair salons, chiropractors, dentist  restaurants  and many more.
When your using your smart phone and go to search for a restaurant  it locates where you are and will show you things that are close by.  In a case like that, SEO will lose to Local search.  More and more with search tools like cell phone being the ways people find business's online, your business needs to be all over MAPS of all kinds.
At this time SEO is still the very important, but times are changing and Local maps are going to be big in the future.

Interesting People in Business in New York

Over the next few weeks and months I will be interviewing Interesting People in Business in New York.   These people will tell their stories about how they have done better then expected.  They will be people who's reach has gone much further then just their business.  They are active in their communities and give back more then most.  Not only in charity, but they help other achieve their own dreams and goals.  One reason that i have decided to write about this subject is because they will have little tidbits of information that may help the next great business person.   Insight into these types of people will let people know that if you really want to succeed in life then it truly is better to give then receive.  I hope that you enjoy reading their stories.

How to Measure SEO Effectiveness

There are three factors that every website, SEO performance and results can be measured through. These are monitoring key words and rankings, analyzing monthly visitors and tracking leads and conversions. Typically every website will be targeted to some key words which are relevant to the business or product that the website is based. SEO professionals should utilize targeted key words in landing pages. Also, each month positions of key word rankings should be improved. Every website can be analyzed through Google Analytics. Google Analytics is a simple, free tool that is easy to install to any website. If your SEO team is continuously adding new content, then traffic to your website should increase. Your website should also provide a phone number, email ID and an inquiry box if your website offers services. If your website offers products then it’s important to have online payment options. These few, simple things are important to check on a monthly basis and can increase your SEO ranking. To learn more about SEO, please visit www.FWDMarketingInc.com. 

2 Great Ways to Grow Your Online Credibility

So you are the kind of guy who says that referrals are how you get your business, well that may be true.  More and more people who get a name of a great service provider, type that name into Google to see what come up.    These are great SEO techniques. 

Imagine you are Divorce Attorney, and when your name is typed in to Google you have your website,  personal Facebook page, maybe a school feed or classmates.com listing.  Now let me ask you a question, how does any of that show that you are an expert in Divorce anything?  IT DOES NOT!!

Now take that same search, but this time you have page after page of Videos you have done and Article and blog post you have written.  All of these things they are seeing are giving them great info.  Do you think that this will make you look like an expert Divorce Attorney?  YES IT DOES.

You should take the 5 or 10 questions your get asked the most, and make them into an article that you can submit to a number of free article submission sites.   You can also get a YouTube Channel for your Company or Firm and do the same thing with the 5 or 10 questions.

The Benefits of Optimizing Your Landing Pages.

Many people don’t realize that landing pages are extremely important for any website, business, and online marketing. Having these landing pages optimized can improve your conversions from 5-15%! If you are having visitors come to your site but your conversions aren’t up to par, it is time to take a look at your landing pages. If your company’s, or website’s messages, images, and merchandise are all lined up, this could increase your conversion rate by 5-20%. If you “badge” a product (add emblems as well as a rating), this can increase your conversions by as much as 55%! When a visitor is browsing your site, it should be made simple for them to go back to the product they were originally interested in. Once again, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is increasing the rankings of a website/webpage in search engines using the natural, or un-paid, search results. For more information about Search Engine Optimization, please visit www.FWDMarketingInc.com. 

How SEO Can Benefit Your Website!

SEO strategies use keywords to maximize the amount of relevant people who see your website. It is the most direct way of reaching your target audience and consumers who are interested in the products or services your company offers. People who engage in internet activity tend to prefer websites that are simple, easy to read and easy to use. By implementing an SEO campaign on your site, visitors will most likely be engaged on your site for a longer period of time. An effective, long-term SEO campaign will allow you to hold higher rankings for an increased amount of time without the expensive marketing costs generally associated with high rankings. SEO costs less than traditional marketing and has better results as well. There is no reason why you shouldn’t utilize Search Engine Optimization for your website and company. 

Enhanced Facebook Pages

One of the best ways to enhance your social presence is by branding all of your social channels the same way. This will portray a true professional look and feel. An Enhanced Facebook page is always a great place to start. You may not know that Facebook offers pages to organizations, companies and to anyone who wishes to have a business oriented and publicly accessible presence on Facebook. These pages look very similar to one's personal profile but these pages can be spruced up! Facebook is crucial to your business's marketing because well, everyone and their grandmother's are on Facebook. The new "word of mouth" is social media, call FWD Marketing today to get a quote on Enhanced Facebook Pages or any of our services that will be beneficial to your business! 631-902-2212

What is SEO?

FWD Marketing offers 1st Page Ranking on all major search engine no matter how competitive your keywords are.  We will analyze the industry and give you a custom quote and time frame for 1^st page ranking.  Our team of experienced Search Engine Optimization (SEO) experts ensures that you will achieve top rankings for most keywords and get huge targeted traffic to your website. We have a proven track record of getting many companies to the top positions that significantly boost their online business. We have designed our SEO services in a way that it helps you increase your Return On Investment (ROI) without wasting money on haphazard approaches. Our SEO services include everything from Free analysis report to selection of the most suitable keywords, and from conducting competitive analysis to obtaining and maintaining higher ranking. But what is SEO? SEO stands for “search engine optimization". This is the process of getting traffic from the free or “editorial” or “natural” listings on major search engines. All major search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing, have such results, where web pages and other content such as local listings are shown and ranked based on what the search engine considers most relevant to the users. Payment isn’t involved, as it is with paid search ads.

What makes a Business Work

 Our founder and CEO Steve Bookspan understands what makes a business work. Steve realized that the one thing that clients need is customer service, and Steve founded FWD with this principal in mind. Armed with the knowledge that clients want the services offered by the big companies, but also want someone to explain the products, answer their questions and, more importantly, care about the results. When internet marketing is done correctly, it can be a powerful tool for small businesses that are trying to get their name out there. Social media marketing services in today’s market place help you increase your brand awareness via different channels that significantly enhance your online business. Acquiring social media marketing services is the latest trend in the internet marketing world. At FWD marketing, its all under one roof!

Making your Facebook Profile a Facebook Business Page

 When trying to do Social Media Marketing by themselves, many made the mistake of making it as a person and not a business

Use the Facebook migration tool to proceed. 
There are a few issues that might arise when doing this migrations, but for most it is well worth it.